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Employee Spotlight : Scott Campbell

A former resident of New York City, Scott is now the Technical Services Librarian at the Law Library, and this month he tells us about a few of his favorite things.

Name: Scott Campbell

Job Title: Technical Services Librarian

Hometown: I was born in Kentucky, but grew up in Indianapolis. I’ve also lived in Minnesota, Missouri and New York.

What does your role in the library involve?

I’m in charge of maintaining the collection, processing books, and making sure everything is on the shelves where it should be. I also purchase the books for the Washer Lounge, and coordinate the Brandeis and Harlan special collections. I actually write a blog about Brandeis & Harlan where I post interesting stories I come across, like the one about Brandeis attending the World Series.

What do you most enjoy about working in the Law Library?

My colleagues are the best part of my job. I also really used to enjoy working with the students when I was in a role that involved more interaction with library users.

What is the most interesting job you’ve ever had?

Working in a public library in New York City. I was at the main branch in Queens for 5 years, and it was a cool place to live, with really interesting library patrons.

Was NYC your favorite place to live?

No, Bloomington was probably my favorite. It was a city the size of a small town, and I spent my college years there, so I was at an interesting point in my life – moving out of my parents’ home and having friends my own age. New York was a pretty close second though, especially for all the movies, and I enjoyed arguing with subway drivers!

Where did you complete your degrees, and what was your major?

Indiana University (Bloomington) for both my degrees. I have an undergraduate degree in English, and a Masters of Library Science. That’s also where I met my wife – we were both English majors at IU.

Do you have any words of advice for new students?

It’s so important to be able to see both sides of an argument. It’s probably the best skill to have as a law student.

What is your favorite book?

Instead of a favorite novel, I have a favorite series: the Flashman novels by George McDonald Fraser. Harry Flashman was the villain of the Victorian novel Tom Brown’s School Days. Fraser took the character and wrote 12 novels about him that served as a satire about the hypocrisy of the Victorian era. In the novels Flashman is still a coward, a cheat and a bully, but it is those qualities that end up making him a celebrated war hero. Despite his proclivity to run away from any dangerous situation, he ends up involved in nearly every atrocity in the 19th century and ends up hobnobbing with people like Abraham Lincoln, Otto von Bismarck, and George Custer. (Flashman was apparently the lone white survivor of Little Big Horn.) Profane and hilarious, I have lost track of how many times I have read some of the novels.

Flashman: from the Flashman papers 1839-1842 by George MacDonald Fraser

Call Number: Ekstrom PR6056.R287 F63 1969

ISBN: 000758444X

Publication Date: 1969

What is your favorite quote?

“There have been a great many bright young men who have come out of Indiana, and the brighter they were the younger they were when they came out.” – George Ade

Do you have any pets?

A cat, and I used to have rats named Manson and Caligula. You really had to keep an eye on them, because they’d chew through wires and shoes. Manson liked eating Oreos and pizza better though, and Caligula would curl up and nap with me.

Do you have any hobbies?

Watching old foreign films. I particularly like Japanese films from before the 1960s, and Eastern European films from the 1960s. I was a big fan of superhero movies for a while but I may have reached my saturation point.

What is the one film you recommend the most?

‘Late Spring’, directed by Ozu. It’s beautifully shot and manages to be both sad and uplifting at the same time.